The Yangtze (Chang Jiang) is [[China]]'s greatest river and a historic transport route. It is over 6,000 km, just under 4,000 miles, long.

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The Yangtze (Cháng Jiāng 长江, "long river," in Chinese) is [[China]]'s greatest river and a historic transport route.

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This is a huge river; it is over 6,000 km (nearly 4000 miles) long, about the same as the Mississippi. Only the Amazon and Nile are longer. It is the world's fifth largest river by volume of water discharged, at over 30,000 cubic meters a second, roughly double the Mississippi or Mekong, three times the Saint Lawrence, four times the Danube or Columbia, and more than ten times little streams like the Rhine or Nile.

==Understand==

==Understand==

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The Yangtze has been an important transportation route with major cities along its banks for several thousand years.

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The Yangtze has been an important transportation route with major cities along its banks for several thousand years.

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What we now call Chinese civilization first developed a grain-based agriculture along the [[Along the Yellow river|Yellow River]] (Huang He), but different peoples cultivated rice beside the lower Yangtze. These peoples were eventually conquered by Shi Huangdi and assimilated during the Han Dynasty, giving the Chinese (汉人, ''Hanren'') their native name for their ethnicity. Owing to the Yangtze's ease of navigation and much less common floods, as well as millennia of invasion from northern nomads, the shores of the Yangtze became home to many major Chinese cities and numerous capitals, most notably [[Nanjing]].

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Chinese civilization first developed along the [[Along the Yellow river|Yellow River (Huang He)]] and shortly thereafter spread to two other major areas &mdash; the lower Yangtze basin and the rich agricultural lands of [[Sichuan]] a thousand km. or more up the river. As the main link between those areas, the Yangtze has been important through most of Chinese history.

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Many European languages know the river as some variant of "Yangtze" from a poetic name (扬子江, ''Yangzijiang'') for a stretch of the river near [[Yangzhou]]. (When Europeans first began trading directly with China, [[Shanghai]] was still a backwater and Yangzhou was the major regional port, directing the area's salt trade and commanding the intersection of the Yangtze and the [[Grand Canal of China|Grand Canal]] north to [[Beijing]].) Chinese sometimes learn the name as part of their English classes, but ''Yangzijiang'' is almost never used in place of ''Chang Jiang'' in actual Chinese.

==Cities==

==Cities==

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*[[Wuxi]]

*[[Wuxi]]

*[[Yangzhou]]

*[[Yangzhou]]

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* [[Zhenjiang]]

*[[Nanjing]], national capital under several dynasties, rivals Beijing for historical importance, capital of [[Jiangsu]]

*[[Nanjing]], national capital under several dynasties, rivals Beijing for historical importance, capital of [[Jiangsu]]

*[[Wuhan]], important in 19th century trade and modern industry, capital of [[Hubei]]

*[[Wuhan]], important in 19th century trade and modern industry, capital of [[Hubei]]

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*[[Chongqing]], one of China's largest cities

*[[Chongqing]], one of China's largest cities

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The river extends far beyond Chongqing; its headwaters are deep in the [[Tibet]]an mountains. Few tourists doing the Yangtse route follow the river much beyond Chongqing. However, travelers on the [[Yunnan tourist trail]] see some of the upper reaches of the river near [[Lijiang]].

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The river extends far beyond Chongqing; its headwaters are deep in the [[Tibet]]an mountains. Few tourists doing the Yangtze route follow the river much beyond Chongqing. However, travelers on the [[Yunnan tourist trail]] see some of the upper reaches of the river near [[Lijiang]]. The Yangtze is also one of the three rivers in [[Three Parallel Rivers National Park]], a [[UNESCO World Heritage]] region in [[Yunnan]].

Several other ancient and important cities are not actually on the Yangtze, but readily accessible from it:

Several other ancient and important cities are not actually on the Yangtze, but readily accessible from it:

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==Get in==

==Get in==

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Shanghai and Nanjing have major international airports and connections to almost anywhere. The other major cities on the route have airports and good connections within China, but not many international flights. KLM flies Chengdu-Amsterdam, but that may be the only exception.

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Shanghai has a major international airport with connections to almost anywhere. The other major cities on the route have airports and good connections within China, but not many international flights. However, KLM flies Amsterdam-Chengdu and Amsterdam-Kunming, Lufthansa Frankfurt-Nanjing and Korean Air has flights from Seoul to several of these cities. Finnair [http://www.finnair.com] offers direct flights to Chongqing.

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From Southeast Asia, the only discount flight into the region is Air Asia Kuala Lumpur to Hangzhou.

==Go==

==Go==

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The most famous part of this route is the sensational boat cruise through the '''Three Gorges''' area between Chongqing and Wuhan. With the recent enormous Three Gorges Dam project, this route has changed considerably but it is still '''definitely worth doing'''. However be careful of the different types of boats and classes within those boats. Traveling on a Chinese tourist boat in 'first class' may not be your idea of 'first class' (one traveler complained of "rats everywhere"). In addition, the only choice for food may be the boat itself for up to 3-days. As such, bring supplies, particularly snacks and drinks for the voyage.

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The most famous part of this route is the sensational cruise ships through the '''Three Gorges''' area between [[Chongqing]] and [[Yichang]]. With the recent enormous Three Gorges Dam project, this route has changed considerably but it is still '''definitely worth doing'''. However be careful of the different types of boats and classes within those boats. Traveling on a Chinese tourist boat in 'first class' may not be your idea of 'first class' (one traveler complained of "rats everywhere"). In addition, the only choice for food may be the boat itself for up to 3-days. As such, bring supplies, particularly snacks and drinks for the voyage. If you really want the good experience on the Yangtze, you'd better choose a luxury yangtze cruise in 4 or 5 star rating. These luxury cruises fare include all the shore excursions with English speaking guides and all meals on-board except the dinner on the check-in day. Almost all the tourists travelling on those cruises are very satisfied with the journey.

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While one reviewer suggested not to take the Chinese Tourist boat (since they stop at destinations at 6am, expecting all passengers to get out and look at the scenery, then arriving at 4am at the final destination and throwing everybody off the boat), another reviewer had a positive experience despite not speaking any Chinese.

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While one reviewer suggested not to take the Chinese Tourist boat (since they stop at destinations at 6AM, expecting all passengers to get out and look at the scenery, then arriving at 4AM at the final destination and throwing everybody off the boat), another reviewer had a positive experience despite not speaking any Chinese.

Other tips:

Other tips:

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* Keep a "day bag" packed for those unexpected times when the boat stops for a site (rather than having to look for your camera, etc. and possibly missing the trip with your fellow boat travelers)

* Keep a "day bag" packed for those unexpected times when the boat stops for a site (rather than having to look for your camera, etc. and possibly missing the trip with your fellow boat travelers)

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One company at the high end of the market is [http://www.orientroyalcruise.com/| Orient Royal Cruise].

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The lower Yangtze areas; from Wuhan down through Nanjing and Suzhou to Shanghai; traveling by boat is also an option, but here it is not essential. There are good rail and road connections throughout the area. See [[High-speed rail in China]] for Nanjng-Wuxi-Suzhou-Shanghai-Hangzhou routes.

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Yangtze river cruise sailing dates and prices can be obtained from [http://www.discoveryangtze.com/| Discover Yangtze River Tour].

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The lower Yangtze areas &mdash; from Wuhan down through Nanjing and Suzhou to Shanghai &mdash; traveling by boat is also an option, but here it is not essential. There are good rail and road connections throughout the area. See [[High-speed rail in China]] for Nanjng-Wuxi-Suzhou-Shanghai-Hangzhou routes.

==Stay safe==

==Stay safe==

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==Get out==

==Get out==

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Chengdu is a hub for visiting southern China. From there, you can:

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Chengdu is a hub for visiting southwest China. From there, you can:

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* fly to [[Lhasa]], [[Tibet]]

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* fly to [[Lhasa]], [[Tibet]] &mdash; but beware of [[altitude sickness]]; Chengdu is under 1000 meters and Lhasa over 3500

* head [[Overland to Tibet]]

* head [[Overland to Tibet]]

* head South toward [[Kunming]], [[Yunnan]] by road or rail

* head South toward [[Kunming]], [[Yunnan]] by road or rail

* swing north by road or rail to [[Xian]], or join the [[Silk Road]] further west at [[Lanzhou]]

* swing north by road or rail to [[Xian]], or join the [[Silk Road]] further west at [[Lanzhou]]

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{{usableitinerary}}

{{related|China}}

{{related|China}}

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{{IsIn|China}}

Revision as of 08:15, 13 August 2013

The Yangtze (Cháng Jiāng 长江, "long river," in Chinese) is China's greatest river and a historic transport route.

This is a huge river; it is over 6,000 km (nearly 4000 miles) long, about the same as the Mississippi. Only the Amazon and Nile are longer. It is the world's fifth largest river by volume of water discharged, at over 30,000 cubic meters a second, roughly double the Mississippi or Mekong, three times the Saint Lawrence, four times the Danube or Columbia, and more than ten times little streams like the Rhine or Nile.

Contents

Understand

The Yangtze has been an important transportation route with major cities along its banks for several thousand years.

What we now call Chinese civilization first developed a grain-based agriculture along the Yellow River (Huang He), but different peoples cultivated rice beside the lower Yangtze. These peoples were eventually conquered by Shi Huangdi and assimilated during the Han Dynasty, giving the Chinese (汉人, Hanren) their native name for their ethnicity. Owing to the Yangtze's ease of navigation and much less common floods, as well as millennia of invasion from northern nomads, the shores of the Yangtze became home to many major Chinese cities and numerous capitals, most notably Nanjing.

Many European languages know the river as some variant of "Yangtze" from a poetic name (扬子江, Yangzijiang) for a stretch of the river near Yangzhou. (When Europeans first began trading directly with China, Shanghai was still a backwater and Yangzhou was the major regional port, directing the area's salt trade and commanding the intersection of the Yangtze and the Grand Canal north to Beijing.) Chinese sometimes learn the name as part of their English classes, but Yangzijiang is almost never used in place of Chang Jiang in actual Chinese.

Cities

Many of China's greatest cities lie along the Yangtze. Except for Shanghai — which was unimportant until the 19th century China trade made it one of the world's great cities — all of these have existed for millennia. Listed from the mouth up the river, they are:

Shanghai, great trading port, financial and fashion capital of modern China

Suzhou, famous for gardens and canals, abode of scholars, painters and poets — between Shanghai and Wuxi

Chengdu, capital of Sichuan — near Chongqing and on one of the Yangtze's tributaries

Of course there are dozens of smaller cities as well.

Prepare

Get in

Shanghai has a major international airport with connections to almost anywhere. The other major cities on the route have airports and good connections within China, but not many international flights. However, KLM flies Amsterdam-Chengdu and Amsterdam-Kunming, Lufthansa Frankfurt-Nanjing and Korean Air has flights from Seoul to several of these cities. Finnair [1] offers direct flights to Chongqing.

From Southeast Asia, the only discount flight into the region is Air Asia Kuala Lumpur to Hangzhou.

Go

The most famous part of this route is the sensational cruise ships through the Three Gorges area between Chongqing and Yichang. With the recent enormous Three Gorges Dam project, this route has changed considerably but it is still definitely worth doing. However be careful of the different types of boats and classes within those boats. Traveling on a Chinese tourist boat in 'first class' may not be your idea of 'first class' (one traveler complained of "rats everywhere"). In addition, the only choice for food may be the boat itself for up to 3-days. As such, bring supplies, particularly snacks and drinks for the voyage. If you really want the good experience on the Yangtze, you'd better choose a luxury yangtze cruise in 4 or 5 star rating. These luxury cruises fare include all the shore excursions with English speaking guides and all meals on-board except the dinner on the check-in day. Almost all the tourists travelling on those cruises are very satisfied with the journey.

While one reviewer suggested not to take the Chinese Tourist boat (since they stop at destinations at 6AM, expecting all passengers to get out and look at the scenery, then arriving at 4AM at the final destination and throwing everybody off the boat), another reviewer had a positive experience despite not speaking any Chinese.

Other tips:

Rent a private cabin if possible (handy for the many relaxing and lazy periods traveling down river)

Bring supplies to wash and dry clothes (detergent and clothes line with clothes-line pins) as this will be convenient in your room (although clothes will dry slowly with the humidity.)

Take photos/ video at dusk or dawn when the haze from air pollution is not as pronounced.

Research the route before traveling so that you have some idea about the sites your boat will stop at and their significance (e.g. Fengdu, the City of Ghosts.)

Keep a "day bag" packed for those unexpected times when the boat stops for a site (rather than having to look for your camera, etc. and possibly missing the trip with your fellow boat travelers)

The lower Yangtze areas; from Wuhan down through Nanjing and Suzhou to Shanghai; traveling by boat is also an option, but here it is not essential. There are good rail and road connections throughout the area. See High-speed rail in China for Nanjng-Wuxi-Suzhou-Shanghai-Hangzhou routes.